WOMP WOMP

02.08.13

Seattle Drone Program Over

Seattle skyline. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty),MARK RALSTON

Seattle’s about to have a huge credit at Radio Shack. The Northwestern city’s mayor canceled plans to send miniature robots equipped with stealth spy cameras into the sky Friday in response to citizens’ concerns over privacy rights. The drones—sponsored by U.S. Department of Homeland Security grants—would have been employed to carry out unmanned surveillance, searching for missing people and assisting certain criminal investigations. “We agreed that it was time to end the unmanned-aerial-vehicle program, so that SPD can focus its resources on public safety and the community building that is the department’s priority,” Mayor Mike McGinn said in a statement.